After leaving Nomad Lounge, I decided I’d begin to make my way over toward Magic Kingdom (MK).  I had tickets for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP), so I would be able to enter the park around 4:00.  It was only around 1:30 when I left AK, but since I was relying on Disney transportation, I wanted to give myself plenty of time.   I decided that I really wanted to go to MK by way of the Wilderness Lodge.  It’s my favorite WDW resort, and I especially love to visit during the holidays to see all of the beautiful decorations.  Unfortunately, I missed the Wilderness bus by about 2 minutes, and ended up waiting about 25-30 minutes for the next bus.  The wait did give me a chance to rest my legs and plug in my cell phone to ensure it would be charged for MVMCP pictures later on!   I’m always happy to arrive at Wilderness, and I’m sure I was grinning like crazy when I walked into the lobby.  To me, the lobby is spectacular any time of year, but at Christmas time I love the giant tree, the welcoming fireplace, the garland on the railings – it’s just an extra level of awesome.  Stitch and other characters (I think Pluto for one) were greeting guests around the tree, and there was a special display set up in the lobby selling holiday snacks and stocking stuffer type items.  I spent quite a few minutes browsing there as well as visiting the excellent gift shop.  I don’t always get tempted by resort-specific Disney merchandise, but Wilderness is totally my vibe.  I treated myself to a buffalo check, fleece-banded Mickey ear Christmas hat to wear for the holiday party.   Having gotten my fill of the lobby, I decided to walk around the resort grounds a bit.  We hadn’t been to Wilderness since they added the Copper Creek Villas & Cabins and opened the new Geyser Point Bar and Grill close to the old Trout Pass Pool Bar location.  I didn’t have enough time to go see the cabins, but I did make time to stop at Geyser Point for a beer.  You know, research, and blog fodder.  I very much liked the vibe at Geyser Point, with its outdoor bar and more casual seating.  I decided not to get a snack since I was headed to the Christmas Party, but I would definitely be interested in getting food there another time.  

With my beer in my belly and feeling content, I strolled over to the dock to catch the boat over to Magic Kingdom.  There was a line building of people headed to MVMCP, and I still had some time to kill, so I decided to take the “long way” – AKA the boat to the Contemporary by way of Fort Wilderness.  In addition to the Wilderness Lodge being very much my aesthetic and vibe, I find the boat to be such a relaxing and beautiful way to travel to MK.  I take loads of pictures and enjoy every minute of the trip. read more